Somewhere In The End
by Spinestalker
Summary: Old age was something Naruto never thought he'd see. With a lifetime of regrets and and memories as sweet as they were bitter, he wanted to make sure he at least saved one person close to him before he died. (lots of) Major Character Death(s), minor Sasunaru, Minor OCs


**Warnings: OCs who I hope aren't shitty. No beta.** _**Character death.**_**  
****Written before chapter 614, so anything after that that contradicts it can't be helped.**

I MAY make a sequel to in the far distant future. This is actually a prequel to a story I'm plotting out that holds Sasunaru themes, but other stories take precedence. This has been mostly written for a while, but I'm so fond of it I wanted to let others read it, so I finished it up into at least one shot material

* * *

**Somewhere In The End**  
By: Spinestalker  
-

Despite the valiant efforts of his reckless youth and the alcohol induced lethargy of the last ten years, old age was something Naruto never thought he'd see. It didn't really even occur to him that he was considered old until his second bottle of sake as he silently celebrated Jiraiya's 93rd birthday. He'd been 54 when he'd died - Naruto had turned 55 last month.

Needless to say, the second bottle went down much faster than the first.

"Oi," he called out, resting his chin in his hand and waved his empty bottle to the pretty blonde who was serving him. She gave him a smile before shuffling to get him another. He took a moment to admire her. Her clothes were tight and bosom big. Jiraiya would have liked her, he thought with a wistful sigh. He would have lecherously hit on her, despite being a quarter his age, and boasted some hilarious and slightly embellished story about his adventures to get her warmed up.

But as he was not his master, he only gave the woman a small smile of thanks she poured him a cup and left the rest before attending to other duties.

"To Ero-sennin," he said under his breath as he took another drink.

He cared not for his own birthday, mostly using Jiraiya's to mark any passage of time, and it was usually weeks before he realized another full year had been added to life. When he was young he didn't have a family to celebrate and even when he'd gained a village full of friends it seemed cruel to celebrate the anniversary of his birth when it was the same as so many who had died.

Even his own parents had been doomed to die on that day. He didn't blame himself, he was much too old to honestly think things would be different had he never been born. Besides, he had plenty to regret that had nothing to do with his parents deciding to have a kid.

Halfway through his third bottle, he ordered another, because he knew it wouldn't last long. He was in the mood to forget the bad and remember the good, and these days it took quite a bit to get him there.

He did take his time through the fourth, however, relishing in the memories of the man he celebrated, allowing the drunken indolence to dull the bittersweet ache that built in his chest.

But it didn't dull his senses enough to miss the chakra of four ninjas that were walking down the street. He sighed with disappointment then waved the lady that was serving him back over.

* * *

Tsunade Sarutobi couldn't believe her rotten luck. Irre simmered just below the surface as she walked with her hands deep in her pockets, the three genin following behind her blissfully quiet. It had been their first C rank mission, one that should have been as simple as to escort a deceased merchant's daughter to the home of her grandparents. Unfortunately a few details had been left out, as they had been given the wrong information to get a better price.

Of course, this had left a genin team facing A rank criminals.

A rank criminals who were dead set on kidnapping the 5 year old in their care.

A 5 year old who was a demon that demanded constant entertainment, care, and whined regardless of what her team tried to do to appease her.

A team that had absolutely no ability to work together.

Oh, but she would fix that. As soon as they got back to Konoha, they were going to undergo the worst training of their lives.

It may not help their team work, but it should as hell would make her feel better.

"Sensei, I'm hungry..."

"You're always hungry, fat ass."

"Well, you're always ugly, pig mouth."

A groan was issued from the third genin as the others argued. "Ugh, you guys are such a bore."

Tsunade's eye twitched before she spun on heal, forcing the three to stop dead in their tracks. She gave the most composed look she could muster, but was satisfied that they could see her rage in her eyes. Two of them recoiled a little while the third cleaned out her ear with a bored expression.

And to think, these three would become the next great Ino-Shika-Cho combo. Konoha was doomed.

She took a deep breath as she considered letting them suffer and starve till they got home the next day, but decided that she herself would need the energy to keep from waterboarding them.

"Fine, but if any of open your mouth to argue, I'm going to have you training with Lee-sensei for a month, do you understand?"

They all paled and nodded and she relished their fear.

"And I'm not paying."

The pudgier of the three pouted, but wisely said nothing.

Without another word, she turned to lead them to find dinner. The town they were in was small but saw a large number of people flowing through it to reach the Fire Country's capital, so choices weren't limited. She could practically feel Choukichi vibrating from his urge to insist on bar-b-que, but she pointedly passed the establishment leaving him whimpering in her wake.

She really shouldn't be so damn cruel, but after such an awful week it felt good. She now understood why Ten-Ten-sensei had treated her and her fellow genin team so harshly when they had done badly on a mission. It was therapeutic.

She would have to pay her former jounin teacher a visit soon. Ten-Ten would love to hear Tsunade was being put through the same hell.

Actually, scratch that. She'd love it a little too much.

She stopped at the last place on the street, a simple bar and grill joint that would leave her students feeling very out of place, as it was a lot more bar than grill. The interior was filled with smoke and alcohol fumes so rank even she winced.

In an effort to escape the mass of the patrons, she lead her team to an enclosed table in the back as her eyes carefully took the room. Most of them were drunks, a few lecherously hitting on the waitress, a few casting them curious looks, eyes flickering to their Hitai-ate. When her eyes fell on the old man in the back, she paused for a moment. She couldn't see him well with the way he was drunkenly slouched over, face partially hidden by the hand that held him up. Something in her gut told her he was dangerous, maybe not in a menacing way, but in a powerful one.

She narrowed her eyes at this, looking at her team to see if any of them noticed anything. She was unsurprised to see Choukichi already pursuing the menu and Inokuchi sending him death glares as his space was invaded by chubby elbows. Shikako was the only one who had noticed the man, a bored regard in her gaze. She took a breath as if she might say something, but only she just let it out in pft before looking away.

Deciding this was a good opportunity for a little information gathering training, and to subtly get Shikako to speak up about what she noticed, she addressed her team as she picked up her menu.

"Without looking, tell me how many men are in this bar."

Doing exactly as he was told not to, Inokuchi spun his head to count, only to get swatted by Choukichi.

"She said not to look, pig mouth."

Already forgetting Tsunade's earlier threats, Inokuchi lifted a fist to threaten his team mate.

"You want to start something with me, fat ass?"

So focused on their impending fight, they missed the sadistic grin that crossed their teacher's face as she imagined just want Lee-sensei would do to them.

Beside her, Shikako sighed heavily.

"Seven men, four women," she said with her typical indifferent tone.

Tsunade lifted an eyebrow. "Just seven? You're sure about that?"

"I'm not counting them."

With a smirk, Tsunade nodded and accepted the answer.

"You saying I'm not a man?" Inokuchi looked ready to go over the table to fight Shikako, but she only humphed unthreatened.

"Yes."

"Why you..."

"Leave her alone," Choukichi said, looking much more threatening at defending Shikako then he had himself, even though she had insulted him too. The two broke out into another argument and Tsunade gave an annoyed sigh.

The man shifted a little, showing three markings on his visible cheek and startling blue eyes just barely hidden by his white-gray bangs. He was looking at his sake bottle with a wistful smile, lost in thought. She was sure he was listening to her fighting genin and she was even more positive she knew him, but, having always been bad with faces, she drew a blank.

"Sensei," Shikako spoke with a voice full of premeditated regret Tsunade could barely hear her. "Well.. it's kinda a bother so I wasn't going to say anything, but that man over there... isn't that Naruto Uzumaki-sama? The Sage?"

As soon as a name was placed with the face, she knew her student was right and she triple cursed her luck.

Three months ago, the Hokage had a meeting with the Jounin and had issued a retrieval command for Naruto-sama, even though he was a hero and not considered a missing-nin. Much more talented teams than theirs had been sent out for him and had found nothing. The one ANBU team that had found him hadn't been able to bring him back.

She was crazy for even considering what was going through her head, however if she could at least talk to him, maybe get information. Anything that would bring their hero home.

* * *

Listening to the young ninja fight had taken Naruto right back to the genin days of Team 7, a place he both loved and reviled. For every good memory a bad one followed and the depressant effect of the sake only enhanced the misery of his loss.

He smiled fondly at the happy memories, but basked in the self hate they sowed.

"Uzumaki-sama."

Naruto didn't need to look up to know the jounin was standing there. He'd expected she would approach him from the moment he'd noticed her. He could feel the determination rolling off her in waves and the finality in her voice. Surely she wouldn't try to apprehend him with just three genin as back up? That would just be silly.

"No, no, names Bojo, no talk well," he said in a thick and fake accent as he waved his sake bottle dismissively. He didn't expect for such a weak attempt to work, so when she didn't move, he only regarded her with a bored look, embellishing his drunken state with droopy eyes.

She took a breath, looking insulted, which made him grin.

"Uzumaki-sama, the Hokage has issued an order to bring you back," she paused before continuing, "Konoha wants you to come home."

Clever girl, speaking words that would go to his heart. And they did, with a sharp pang of longing. He loved his home more than anything else. He had given up almost everything for it.

He sighed, giving her a frown as he took in her simple jounin attire. It was typical, the only real personalization was the clothes were a brighter blue than standard issue and the collar hung loosely around her neck. Her short brown hair and wide brown eyes put him in mind of someone, but he wasn't sure who.

"What's your name."

Taken back, she sputtered, but finally pushed it out. "Tsunade Sarutobi."

Her name sparked a warmth in his chest that twisted the guilt he could never seem to drink away. It was Konohamaru's daughter.

He pushed away the depressing thoughts that threatened to take over, saving them for a time when he was alone. He stood up enough to lean forward, eyes narrowing. She wrinkled her nose and clearly fought the urge to lean away from his sake wreaked breath, however she held her ground. He took the time to study her face. It looked a lot like her fathers, a softer more effeminate version but he could see Konohamaru most in her eyes. He had good people instincts, and he could knew that wherever her dad was, he would be proud.

Instead of giving any hints of what was really going through his head he quickly took in the rest of her, popping up to her left and right as if to examine her form more closely. If Jiraiya taught him anything, it was making someone uncomfortable was the best way to get rid of them.

"Hmmm. A pity..." When he finished he plopped down in his seat, pouring the last of his sake into his cup.

"A pity?" Clearly weirded out by how close his face had been to her ass, she glared daggers at him. He was surprised she hadn't hit him yet.

"Ahh, you look so much like your dad. You could have used to inherit a little more of your mom's curves.." he snickered lecherously, letting a rosy tint come to his cheeks.

She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest self consciously.

"That pervy drunk can't possibly be the Legendary Sage..." the blond boy said. He turned to glare at him, taking in the looks of the three genin for the first time. A chubby redhead, a blond with long shiny hair that looked far too pretty to be a boy, and brunette girl who looked like a nap was a long time coming. He knew exactly who their parents were.

He jumped up, slamming his foot down on the table, his geta making a loud wood on wood clap. If people weren't looking before, now everyone was. He struck a pose, pointing at the three with a deadly serious look on his face. "That's Uzumaki-sama, to you, pig-chan."

Insulted at the nickname, the blond exploded, eyes blazing as he lifted a fist threateningly. "What did you say?!"

"I told you. You look like a pig, pig mouth." Chouji's boy looked satisfied, crossing his arms over his chest. Before the two could start a fight, Tsunade grabbed the Yamanaka boy by his collar and jerked him away.

"That's it, I'm leaving you three under Lee-sensei's special training for three months."

Naruto smiled as they all three looked sick at the idea. He couldn't blame them. If Lee was anything like Naruto remembered. Regardless, it would be good for them.

Tsunade turned away from the genin, an earnest look in her eyes.

"Naruto-sama. Please, come back with us to Konoha. People have been looking for you for months."

"I know. And they haven't found me for months because I'm not going back."

"You are still a ninja of Konoha, aren't you? It's a direct order from the Nanadaime. Defiance is treachery."

There was that word again. The ANBU had used it when he'd let them catch up with him. It wasn't the Hokage's words, he knew, but to hear them still hurt.

"I would never betray Konoha," he said, "but what they are asking of me, I can't do. Tell him I'm sorry, but I can't."

He doubted she knew just what they really wanted, he doubted any of the people who were trying to find him knew. Even if they did, it would probably look even more dubious.

"Then you can come and tell him yourself."

It was the way she spoke, her eyes that were so much like her father's, that made his heart waver. If he hadn't already made his escape, he might have agreed.

He gave her a sad smile. "You really do remind me of you father. You have his eyes and his fire."

This caught her off guard and she seemed to soften suddenly. "You knew my father?"

"He and I were a lot alike. He'd be proud of you."

She flushed a little, but her face became set with even more determination. "Please. Naruto-sama. Come home with us."

"I'm sorry, Tsunade. I really am, but as it stands now, there is no way you can take me." He lifted his fingers and the four ninja quickly moved to a defensive stance. He only laughed a little before waving.

"By the way, thanks for a sake." And in a puff of smoke he was gone.

Tsunade's jaw dropped as she realized she'd been talking to a clone and had no idea when he'd had the chance to escape. It had to have been before she approached him, which meant he had a good 15 minutes on them. even if she didn't have a genin team with her, the difference in skill would place him miles away.

A tap on her shoulder turned her to the waitress, who was holding up a relatively high bill for several bottles of sake. She balked.

"I didn't get any sake!"

"It wasn't you. It was for the gramps. He said some ninja would come and speak with him before he left and they would pay his tab."

There was a calm moment before Tsunade suddenly erupted, face red in a rage that caused her students to cower in fear.

"THAT PERVERT! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"

* * *

As the memories from the clone rushed through his mind, he paused on a tree branch to collect himself. His clone hadn't said or thought anything he himself wouldn't have, but now that he was alone with the memories, he allowed himself to feel the grief and guilt he'd suppressed when talking to them.

He had been proud that Konohamaru had chosen to name his daughter after the Godaime. It probably meant more to Naruto then it would have Tsunade, who would have scoffed at such sentimental bulk. But it was a good name that had belonged to a good woman. He was happy to see Konohamaru's daughter doing her namesake honor.

The same as with the Sandaime and Jiraiya, he had never gotten the chance to tell her how how much she really meant to him. He had been away from the village when she'd died. It always seemed like he was away from the village when the worst happened

A resurrected Orochimaru had somehow gathered an an army of ninja and laid siege to Konoha without any warning. She had died protecting the village taking her fellow sannin with her once and for all. Naruto could have saved them all without Tsunade's death, but he'd been away chasing Sasuke. It was just one of a million regrets.

A million regrets he always seemed to trace back to his failure to save his best friend. So obsessed with becoming stronger to save him, chasing after every rumor, every breadcrumb for even the chance to punch that bastard in the face for making Sakura cry.. for making him cry...How many people would still be alive if Sasuke hadn't consumed him so much. How many people could he have saved if he had just been able to let that one person go?

Orochimaru wouldn't have taken the life of a second Hokage and Tsunade Sarutobi would have grown up with a father.

Konohamaru had never questioned what drove Naruto so hard. He'd said that if any of his friends had gotten lost like that, he'd definitely do the same. Konohamaru never got to have his dream to become Hokage.

He didn't know why or how Konohamaru and his genin team stumbled upon Sasuke, only that Sasuke killed all of them. He had long ago stopped trying to understand what drove the Uchiha, but he knew the blood was as much on his hands as they were on Sasuke's.

How many times had he gotten the chance to kill Sasuke? Maybe if he'd pushed a little harder when they'd broke even? Maybe if he'd used Kurama's power sooner, or sage mode faster. Maybe if he hadn't of let Sasuke retreat? Maybe, maybe, maybe. There were plenty of chances to end Sasuke before Sasuke killed Konohamaru.

Before Sasuke killed Kakashi.

Before Sasuke killed Sakura.

Before Sasuke killed himself.

If only he had been able to save Sasuke so many many years ago.

_"You're running in circles."_

Naruto snorted at the familiar voice in his head, resisting the urge to point out that that he was, in fact, standing in one place.

_"I'm always running in circles, Kurama."_

_"You once said you would take on the sadness of the world. You seem determined to do that even if the world can handle it on it's own."_

Naruto closed his eyes to focus on the soothing presence of his life long companion.

_"Sorry. Bad habit I guess."_

The rumbling growl of disapproval vibrated his whole being and he smiled a little at Kurama's concern.

_"Naruto..."_ he seemed to have something to say but after a pause of hesitation changed to another subject. _"Konoha isn't going to give up."_

_"I know. I'm prepared for it."_

Kurama said nothing, and Naruto had the vague impression that it was because he knew just what Naruto was thinking.

_"Naruto..."_he started, but Naruto opened his mind's eye to look at Kurama. There was no cage here, no sewers, just a comforting warmth of their shared friendship.

_"I'm not breaking my promise to you, Kurama. I'm going to be your last vessel. When I die, you will be reborn free. You aren't a weapon to be used against other villages. I know not everyone in Konoha feels like that, I know the Nanadaime doesn't, but..."_

_"No one knows how much you love Konoha more than I do. You shouldn't have to choose between keeping a promise to me and your village."_

_"You're right. I shouldn't. But I will."_

Kurama fell silent and Naruto withdrew, opening his eyes to the sight of the forest.

For all the people he'd failed to save, he would save Kurama with his dying breath.

He supposed it was about time for him to pay the Hokage a visit. But he would do it on his terms.

* * *

Shikamaru Nara had better things to do then gaze up at the stars, unlit cigarette hanging from his lips. It wasn't even like he could see the clouds. It was too moonless, though he was able to make them out by the starless patches that passed over. There was still paperwork for the day to do, or, better yet, sleep. He could be home, catching up on just that, though he suspected it would just end with his wife pestering him about how unmotivated their daughter was.

Shikako... that was a never ending source of contention between him and his wife. She wanted him to push her harder and, well, pushing her to do anything she didn't want to do would be more troublesome than it was worth. Perhaps it was his fault in some ways. He had waited till he was in his 40s before considering that, as head of the clan, he probably needed to work out that heir thing. Though he could blame Ino, whose taste in men had been so strict and vain that it took her just as long to find someone she liked.

Whether of a grand design, tradition, or bad luck, all three of them had waited to have their first (and in Shikamaru's case, only) child the same year, insuring the Ino-Shika-Cho combo would find it's way to the new generation.

Ugh, how incredibly troublesome.

He took a deep breath and considered reaching into his pocket to light the tobacco stick, but thought better. Shiho never said anything, but the glower she gave him when he came home smelling like smoke didn't need words to back it up.

But still, going home wasn't so unappealing. Shikako wouldn't be home until tomorrow and if he prostrated himself enough he could probably get Shiho to cave a little...

She'd been so sweet and submissive when they'd been dating.

He arched his back before kicking off the ground, landing in a squatting position. He was seconds away from standing when a loud croak caught his attention. Not three feet away was a large green toad with orange markings around its eyes. It wasn't a species Shikamaru had ever seen before and it looked at him with all the intensity of a messenger.

It croaked again.

He sighed heavily before straightening, dusting off his pants. "I suppose it can't be helped." He said to the toad before walking to the edge of the building and jumping off. With little effort he was inside an open window, the toad obediently following him in.

The toad opened his mouth wide as Shikamaru turned to close the impromptu entrance. He wasn't surprised to see his old friend when he turned back.

"You know..." Naruto said with a grin. "I still can't believe you took position as Hokage."

"It's troublesome. I only took it because we were in the brink of a war and someone wouldn't come back."

"It was because you were Hokage that the conflict never escalated into a full blown war."

Shikamaru snorted as he walked to sit in front of his desk, ignoring the stacks of paperwork. "I still believe we wouldn't have had a conflict at all had you accepted the position of Rokudaime."

"Kakashi was a much better candidate."

"He didn't think so."

"He was wrong." Naruto's tone left no room to argue, and Shikamaru was inclined to let it drop. He knew his old classmate blamed himself for Kakashi's death and it would do no good to press the subject and run Naruto off. There was a pregnant pause before Shikamaru reluctantly spoke.

"I'm glad you came..."

"You can't have him." Naruto's tone was cordial, but clipped. Right to the point, however Shikamaru would have liked a little time to soften Naruto up before getting to this subject.

"Naruto, it's too dangerous to risk him being lost - to another village or even him attacking..."

"Kurama has never attacked Konoha without being under subjugation."

Naruto using the kyuubi's name always rang funny in his ears. Maybe he was still of the mindset that it was a dangerous demon and maybe it was because he didn't talk to it on a daily basis.

"What if someone gains control over him like that again..."

"The sharingan is the only known way, and all the Uchiha are dead." The last words echoed with Naruto's bitterness and self hate. Not for the first time Shikamaru noticed what a burden Konoha's hero still carried, but it was always so overwhelming to look at in the face.

"What do you intend to do then?"

"When I die, he'll be reborn free to do what he wants. "

"You could be putting everyone in Konoha in danger, you know." They both knew he was grasping for straws. Like anyone else, Shikamaru had a hard time not wanting to trust Naruto. When the sage smiled softly, the Nanadaime already knew he was defeated.

"Kurama would never harm Konoha. When he's reborn he'll be free to lead his own life. He said he could shape into a human form, if he wanted to. It was how he lived before Madara found him... well," Naruto paused as a fond look crossed his face. "He doesn't have to, but... I'd like for him to come here and continue to protect Konoha."

His words surprised Shikamaru, causing the Hokage to jolt in an upright position. The idea that the kyuubi would come here to protect Konoha of his own free will wasn't one he'd thought possible. He'd considered the risks of finding a new host, and the new host being unable to control the power the way Naruto had. Though a child had been recently born that possessed the potential and he had hoped he'd get Naruto to train them from an early age.

But this was something else entirely. A jinchuuriki was still limited to the host's body; a free bijuu had no such restrictions.

Not to mention they wouldn't have to risk an innocent life on the chance they were compatible.

He rested his hands on the desk, folding them in thought.

"I had honestly hoped I'd get this demon worked out before I found a successor. I doubted you'd trust a hokage you didn't know."

"You're right. I wouldn't." Again Naruto's finality caused Shikamaru to look at him closely. He had a horrible feeling he already knew what he meant. "Kurama said it may take him one to two years to finish his rebirth at worst, however I've been working on a way to cause it to be instant. It's theory, anyways. I was never really all that good with this kind of stuff, you know?"

Shikamaru stood up so quickly, he knocked over a pile of papers.

"Naruto, you can't be thinking..."

"I want to make sure Kurama is in good hands."

"So you're going to kill yourself? There are ways to extract it without killing you. You have enough chakra of your own to survive. You don't have to die!"

"I died a long time ago, Shikamaru."

The hokage could only stare in reproach.

"I told you that Sasuke and I would die together, didn't I? I may have walked away from our last battle, but my death just took a lot longer."

"But we can extract it without killing you..." Naruto interrupted him with a shake of his head.

"Actually, Kurama is all that is keeping me alive." For a moment Shikamaru thought he was being metaphorical before Naruto started to pull down his yutaka and lift up armor mesh to reveal his chest. Branching from the sight of a nasty scar, black veins webbed under the skin and he could visibly see the red chakra from the kyuubi spiraling from his abdomen and coating the skin. The mesh, he realized, must have had some sort of chakra concealment properties, because he hadn't been able to sense it before.

"Some strange version of amaterasu, I think. It's in my veins." Naruto let out a humorless laugh as he righted his clothes. "I guess you could say Sasuke still burns me up."

"I can't believe you can even survive like that..." Shikamaru plopped back into his chair, leaning his elbows on the table.

"It's testament to Kurama's determination to keep me alive. Even he can't put it out, but he has suppressed it all these years."

Shikamaru wished he knew what to say to change Naruto's mind, but he already knew there was nothing.

"If Kurama comes, Konoha will welcome him." He met Naruto's relieved face. "It's the least I can do after all you've done for us."

"I don't know if I really deserve that, but thank you."

Naruto gave one last soft smile before he lifted two fingers and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, the toad with him. Shikamaru shouldn't have been surprised it had been a clone, but the pang that Naruto hadn't trusted him enough to come himself hurt more than he'd expected.

He closed his eyes, rubbing his palms against them to stop the annoying headache that was starting to surge. He would have another friend to mourn. Perhaps this was what it was like to get old.

* * *

It was only fitting that Naruto would die at the Valley of the End. It had been the place where Sasuke had severed the bonds that Naruto had spent the rest of his life trying to pull back together. Sasuke had died here over thirty years later. Having lost the most important people in his life, it was his turn.

He wasn't allowing death for the sake of death, however. His last act would be to save the closest friend he had left, and in doing do, Konoha would be protected in ways even the Legendary Sage Naruto couldn't.

Even though he could have lived longer, it wasn't exactly draining Kurama to keep amaterasu in check, he wanted to make sure a hokage who would support his decision was in power.

He took in a deep breath, looking over the once breathless scenery. The tall carvings of Madara and the first were a crumbled mess, symbolic of the state the inheritors of their will had found themselves so many years ago.

The fight was a blur, rage fueled by grief over the loss of Sakura and Kakashi, but even now, in the final private moments of his life, he wasn't sure he could bare to dwell on what took place. Remembering Sasuke's final hours, his last act...

He could still hear the helpless sobs as Sasuke cried over his chest, the wetness of his tears as they soaked his chest.

_"Why didn't you kill me. You should have killed me. You said we'd both die... why.. why... why..."_

Because I am weak, he remembered thinking, but was far too spent to speak. He had spent so many years trying to keep the fire of whatever he and Sasuke once had kindled, had shoved so much of himself into it, that in the end, at the very very last second, it became a raging inferno that had consumed him and left him unable to act - unable to kill Sasuke.

Unable to kill the last person alive that he loved.

He was ready to embrace death. The fire that was burning him from the inside was far more merciful than living a life of a man who had let everyone down. He may have saved the world, but those closest had suffered because he had never had the strength to save the one person most important to him.

As the edges of his vision had went back, he saw the red and black of Sasuke's tear filled Mangekyou. He had never been sure of what had happened, only that he woke up several days later with Kurama controlling his body. Kurama had never told him the whole story, and Naruto had been too scared to ask. How could a man that had killed everyone else been so unwilling to let him die? He had given the last of his power to save him. Perhaps it was a final wound, forcing Naruto to suffer the rest of his life with painful memories.

_"I love.. I love..."_

Had he imagined those words? Like the memory of a dream he'd had long ago, he could feel wet lips against his, tears of another falling on his cheeks. It was as if it was something his dying brain had conjured up to ease his suffering.

"Do you think I'll see them?" he asked out loud, pulling himself away.

_"Yes,"_Kurama's deep voice responded. Naruto didn't know if it was because he wanted to comfort him or because he believed it, but it made him smile anyways. He closed his eyes and found himself before the great demon. He was more despondent than Naruto had ever seen him and he reached out to run his hand over the silky fur on his leg.

_"Will I see you again?"_

Kurama lowered his head, his cheek brushing against the whole of Naruto's body in what had to have been the most intimate gesture he had ever shown. It warmed Naruto's heart painfully, and for a breif moment he dreaded leaving Kurama behind.

_"Maybe. I will never be able to go where you go."_

_"Perhaps in my next life?"_

Kurama nodded and Naruto buried his face against him. Tears burned his eyes and he found he didn't even care to try and place a facade of strength. Kurama deserved to see how much Naruto cared for him. He had missed the opportunity with everyone else, he would not miss it this time.

_"Thank you - for everything. You were always here with me. You always understood me even better than I did myself."_

_"I owe you everything,"_ Kurama said with a voice thick emotions that mirrored Naruto's, _"I'd give you anything I could."_

Naruto pulled back enough to look him in the eye. _"Always- always protect the people of Konoha. Love it like I have. It's not perfect, but in time I know that they will think of you as I do; a comrade and a friend."_

Kurama closed his eyes, and a visible effort to hold back the large tears forming.

_"I think if I could stay with you forever, I would. But it's time,"_ Naruto said softly, _"I'll release the seals that are holding you inside my body. Using the last of my chakra I'll contain you as you leave- you should spawn here in the valley."_

He gave Kurama one last lingering look before he opened his eyes to the crumbling mess around him. He jumped down to take a seat on the water, knowing that as soon as this was done he'd be consumed by the black fire. It would be best to let his body sink into the river rather than risk the flames spreading.

Maybe, he thought to himself, the next life wouldn't be so bad. Though, he guessed, this one hadn't been all bad. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out the faded worn photograph of Team 7. It had yellowed from age, the corners peeling and curling, but just as the memory it held, it brought a smile to Naruto's lips.

Yeah. The next life wouldn't be so bad.

* * *

**Yeah, you can kill me. But review first please, then kill me, cause I wanna know what you think before I die.**


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